With balled fists.

The Bavarian Fistfighter from Rough Crafts.

Made in Taiwan as a quality feature: customizer Winston Yeh creates motorcycles that awaken desires all over the world. His signature: clean, harmonious, black. Just like the R nineT conversion Bavarian Fistfighter.

Profile description

Bike

Bavarian Fistfighter

Forge

Rough Crafts

Customizer

Winston Yeh

Basic

R nineT

Construction/conversion

2015/2015

Category

Cafe Racer

Subtle design.

Subtle design.

Taipei is full of two-wheelers. It is the vehicle of choice for getting around in Taiwan's overpopulated capital. Nevertheless, what Winston Yeh is doing is entirely unusual. The Taiwanese ride scooters instead of motorcycles and they ride because they have to, not because they want to. "In 2009, I founded my custom shop Rough Crafts, and there are still very few who understand what I do", says Winston. It's 10 p.m. and he is tinkering in his workshop. Perfection knows no overtime – least of all in Taiwan, where people work harder than anywhere else. For Winston, his home is the ideal place to have parts produced. He himself concentrates on what he does best: design. During his studies, he went to LA with a scholarship in 2005, where he had a chance encounter with Roland Sands, and ended up working for him.

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‘

As a customizer, you do what you want. You create a bike entirely corresponding to your imagination and make it run.

’

Winston Yeh

Rough Crafts

Winston's bikes are never obtrusive, loud or in need of explanation. "I like subtle design. This is why all my bikes are black", he says. Harmony is the number one priority. Nothing is to stand out or distract. What he especially likes about the Bavarian Fistfighter is what is not there: the rear. "If something looks unusual, it is by no means wrong." He arrived at this name because the cylinders of the engine stick out from the outside like two balled fists – while the pistons on the inside move back and forth like the hands of a boxer. For the design, Winston delved deep into the history of BMW: the wheels are recreated after the snowflake wheel rims made of cast aluminium on older air-cooled boxers. The tank and front fairing are also a mix of various eras from the BMW history. "The people are to recognise the classical lines of BMW. This is important to me, because they can identify with this."